Freespace 2
by darth rat
Summary: This is a pretty bad story because I wrote it when I was in sixth grade. I am posting it just because i recently found it. It is mainly the plot of FS2, and most of it is just the exact dialogue from the game, although it differs in the end.
1. Chapter 1

From the personal log of Admiral Aken Bosch

From the personal log of Admiral Aken Bosch.

I remember well the day the destroyers came. The Galactic Terran Alliance was stretched thin because of the war with the Vasudans. We were winning the war when we encountered the Shivans. No one knows why they came, or what their motivation was. They slashed through both Terran and Vasudan fleets, killing everyone that came in contact with them. In every battle with them, they unveiled new and deadly technology like flack guns and shields, culminating with the Lucifer. Over a kilometer long, with beam cannons that could defeat a destroyer with one blow, and shields that could repel any attack, the Lucifer was almost unstoppable. It destroyed Vasuda Prime and set a course for earth. Only by tracking the Lucifer into subspace and detonating its reactor were we able to halt the Shivan advance. The explosion severed the jump node to Sol, cutting off our line to home. The tragedy of Vasuda Prime and Sol bound the Terran and the Vasudans together, creating the Galactic Terran Vasudan Alliance. For the past 32 years we have been living in the shadow of the past, waiting for the Shivans to come again. The destroyers will come and come again until we are gone. My duty is to erase the unholy alliance that the GTVA and to play the hero who will be remembered throughout the ages as the greatest villain of all.

"Good morning pilot. Welcome to the 53rd Hammerheads, onboard the GTD Aquitaine. Because of recent squadron losses, you will command the four fighters of Alpha wing, and your designation will be Alpha 1. Grab some sleep because we start a campaign against the Neo-Terran Front tomorrow." Talon Star watched as the recorded holographic head of the Hammerheads commander that had welcomed him faded into nothing. Talon was new to the Galactic Terran Vasudan Alliance. He had joined to help defeat the Neo-Terran Front, Admiral Bosch's rebel fleet. He also had a more personal reason for joining. When he was just a kid, during the Great War, he had watched while the Shivans destroyed the transport his parents were on. He remembered the specific ship that had destroyed it. It was heavy fighter, but it wore a pattern of alternate gold and black stripes on it, and it out performed any other fighter in the Shivan Armada. Talon suspected it was an ace. He wanted to make sure that never happened to anyone else. He was impressed with the Aquitaine. It was a GTD Hectate-class destroyer. It could destroy Terran or Vasudan ship in one on one combat and could probably beat another Lucifer. He realized he was tired from the shuttle ride to the Aquitaine. He walked to his quarters, pausing to glance around his room. There was no family holos, no souvenirs, and no personal items. All he had was a bed, a computer, and his flight uniform. He flopped down on his bed, and let the darkness of sleep overtake him.

He was awoken by a computerized voice that boomed from his computer. "Mission Briefing in ten minutes." He groaned. He must have slept through both the thirty minute alarm and the twenty minute alarm. He grabbed his flight uniform, and then hopped down the hall to the briefing room, trying to get his foot in his flight boot while moving. He finally managed to get it on and sprinted the last 50 meters, sitting down in his seat just as the lights went off and the automated briefing started.

"At 0200 hours, we received a distress call from a convoy of Saitis-class freighters. Each one carries over 500 civilians. They are escorted by a wing of Theta-class fighters. They are being attacked by the NTF and because they are Vasudan, the NTF will show no mercy in attacking them. We will dispatch Alpha wing to handle the situation. That is all."

Talon walked out of the briefing room and to the fighter bay. He climbed into his Myrmidon and fired up the engines. He engaged his subspace drive, and watched is the swirling blue vortex that was subspace. He and Alpha two arrived at their destinations only seconds after leaving. Instead of finding the expected three transports and wing of fighters, they found two badly damaged freighters and three fighters with near-critical hull integrity. Talon's computer designated the freighters Iota 1 and Iota 2, and the fighters Epsilon wing.

Alpha 2: "This is Alpha 2 of the 53rd Hammerhead, GTD Aquitaine. What is your status?"

A Vasudan replied, with its odd, croaking voice layered over by a mechanical-sounding translator.

Epsilon 3: "Alpha wing, this is Epsilon 3. We have repelled the rebel attack but have sustained heavy casualties. We fear the rebels will return in greater force."

Alpha 2: "Hang in there Iota. Command will send a recovery craft. We'll defend the transports."

Just then, Talon's sensor picked up a wing of Hercules' fighters emerging from subspace in front of him. Accelerating to intercept, he launched a salvo of four Rockeye missiles. They hit the group of fighters, blowing them apart. He dove behind the other fighters, destroying them with sustained fire form his lasers. Just then he saw the axe-shaped profile of a Hatshepsut-class destroyer coming out of subspace right next to the convoy.

GVD Psamtik: "This is the GVD Psamtik. We are here to rendezvous with the transports."

Iota 1: "Roger that Psamtik. We will dock with you. Setting course now."

The transports lit their ion drives and headed for the Psamtik docking point.

Command: "Hold on there Psamtik. A rebel Deimos-class corvette, the NTCv Belisarius, has run our blockade of the Sirius jump node. We have tracked them to your coordinates. Stand by to intercept."

GVD Psamtik: "Roger that command."

A moment later, the Belisarius thrust its prow from subspace, gliding in. Talon took a quick look at the ship and could see at a glance that it was badly damaged. Sparks were playing over its whole body, turrets were reduced to only so much rubble and char, and there were several deep gashes in its side that must have been inflicted by beam cannons. Talon's computer told him that its hull was at 20 integrity. The Psamtik turned so that all of its beam cannons faced towards the Belisarius.

GVD Psamtik: "Gunnery stations, power up beam cannons. Commence plasma core insertion."

The Psamtiks beam turrets glowed yellow with power.

GVD Psamtik: "Belisarius, power down your reactor and surrender. You will not get another warning."

NTCv Belisarius: "Negative Vasudan! The NTF is the only legitimate authority in this system. I will not give up my ship!"

GVD Psamtik: "As you wish."

Suddenly, bright yellow beams lanced from the Psamtik's beam turrets and struck the Belisarius. They hit dead center of the ship, burning away sections of armor and finally piercing the other side of the corvette. The Psamtik stopped firing and minor explosions started to ripple through the ship. Finally, a massive explosion ripped apart the ship, sending cruiser-sized pieces shooting in all directions. The Psamtik started launching fighters to escort the transports to the transports.

GVD Psamtik: "Now deploying Kappa and Zeta wings. You are relieved of your escort Alpha wing."

Command: "Permission to RTB."

Talon engaged his subspace drive and quickly arrived at the Aquitaine. He docked and then walked to the debriefing room. His commander spoke to him.

Commander: "You did very well Lieutenant Star. You defended the transport and got five kills. Instant ace. If you continue this performance, you will probably be in line for a promotion. Dismissed."

Talon wandered away after the debriefing. He was excited at being an ace, and he hoped he could live up to his commander's expectations.

About an hour later he heard the half-hour warning for a briefing. He got to the briefing room and settled down until the briefing started.

"This mission will use all of Alpha and Beta wing. Intelligence has found a depot where the rebels are moving cargo. The cargo is rumored to hold components to a rebel device called ETAC, possibly a weapon of mass destruction. Beta, you will scan the cargo. Alpha will escort Beta. Delta wing, two Ursa-class bombers, will be standing by in case any capital ships jump in. Go get them pilots."

Talon scrambled to his fighter. This time the jump took a little longer because the Aquitaine was pretty much as far as it could be from the target. When Talon reverted to realspace two Loki fighters were about a klick away. They turned towards him and opened fire. His shield level dropped, and he actually lost his front shield from a missile hit. He pulled a U-turn and found himself behind the fighters. As he chased fighters around, he listened to the conversation on the comm.

Beta 1: "Command, we've got a problem here."

Command: "What is it Beta?"

Beta 1: "We can't scan the cargo."

Command: "Run a diagnostics Beta. Are your sensors malfunctioning?"

Beta 1: "Negative command, there's some kind of shielding on those units. Our sensors can't penetrate."

Command: "Acknowledged Beta. Abort the scan and get out of there."

Beta 1: "What about recovery op?"

Command: "We will not risk a recovery ship in these asteroids. Destroy the cargo."

Talon heard the command and swung towards the nearest cargo container and opened fire with his lasers watching as other fighters in his wing did the same. Talon keyed his mike.

Alpha 1: "Command, permission to RTB."

Command: "Hold on Alpha. Long rang sensors detect something large 200 kilometers from your position. Sending coordinates now."

Talon powered up his engines and headed for what looked like a large asteroid. As he got closer he could see that the asteroid was actually a station that was bristling with weapons.

Alpha 2: "Command, that asteroid has turrets and a fighter bay. It must be a rebel installation."

Command: "Copy that. Sending Delta to support."

As Talon neared the station, the laser turrets rotated to track his squadron. They opened fire immediately when they were in range. One of them impacted directly on Alpha 4. His shields buckled under the blast and his ship rocked with the impact.

Alpha 4: "Oh God, my reactor breached! It's going critical!"

Alpha 1: "Alpha 4 eject!"

Talon watched helplessly as Alpha 4's ejection seat ignited its rocket motor, but his canopy did not jettison. His cockpit filled with flames. Finally the rocket pushed his seat free of his cockpit, but it only carried his limp body a few meters from his crippled fighter before his reactor detonated, swallowing both pilot and ship. Talon forced any thoughts of Alpha 4 from his head and dived towards the base, strafing any turret he saw. Delta wing was approaching fast, and it would not be long before they got within bomb range. Just then, a communication came from the rebel installation.

Rebel Installation: "This is Admiral Bosch of the Neo-Terran front. Allied fighters, break off your attack!"

Alpha 2: "Command, the rebel leader is on that base!"

Command: "Disregard that transmission Alpha. Admiral Bosch is in the Polaris system. This must be a decoy."

Rebel installation: "If you kill me here you sign the death warrant for our race! I demand unfettered access to the Sirius jump node!"

Command: "There will be no negotiations Bosch."

Rebel installation: "Listen to me! If you give me safe passage to Sirius, I will pull all my forces out of Deneb."

Command: "Pilots, destroy that installation. You have your orders."

Talon looked at his tactical map. Delta wing was in range and had already launched some of their bombs. He watched as they flew to and hit the rebel base. He saw that the base was starting to break apart, a sign of a good hit. But even as he thought that he knew it was wrong. The bombs that were launched were not strong enough to destroy the station. Plus, most of the explosions were coming from inside the station, suggesting a self-destruct. The station suddenly exploded, shooting cruiser-sized pieces of rock hurtling at high speed in all directions. In the center of the destroyed asteroid there was a destroyer; one which's design had been made by Admiral Bosh when he was in the GTVA, a destroyer called the NTD Iceni. For it to be there, it must have been placed at the center of the asteroid.

Command: "That's not an installation! Destroy the engines of that warship. Do not let it escape!"

Talon tried to shoot the engines, but the Iceni engaged its subspace drive and rocketed out of the asteroid field.

Command: "All fighters pursue the Iceni! Stop it before it reaches the Sirius jump node!"

Talon obligingly engaged his drive, waiting the couple seconds it would take to get to the new section of space where the Iceni was. Most space ships were equipped with a jump drive. This allowed easy travel with in a system. Larger ships had a high power jump drives, which allowed them to jump between systems. However, they had to occur at a special anomaly in space called a jump gate. The Iceni needed to reach the node so it could get to the Sirius system. Talon knew what would be waiting. A blockade of 3-4 corvettes and a destroyer would be waiting to intercept the Iceni. And Talons quadroon was supposed to jump in right behind the Iceni, giving it easy access to the destroyer's vulnerable engines. At least that's would he thought. When he reverted he got a big surprise. The blockade was nowhere to be seen, and the Iceni were 5 kilometers from his squad.

Command: "Engage you after burner and intercept."

Alpha 3: "Command, were five klicks from that destroyer. Those coordinates you gave us were bogus! We don't stand a chance at catching it."

Command: "Try any way, Alpha.

Alpha 3: "Command, where's the blockade? Why aren't we guarding that node?"

Command: "Those ships have been reprioritized for engagements elsewhere in the system.

Talon diverted all power to his engines and engaged his afterburner, but he knew they could not catch the destroyer. When he was still three kilometers from the destroyer it got to the node. Talon heard a message from the Iceni come over the comm.

Admiral Bosch: "You've failed pilots. You would be well advised to question the wisdom of your leaders. Admiral Bosch out."

The Iceni accelerated and jumped out of the system. Talon heard Alpha 3 arguing angrily to command.

Alpha 3: "Request a status brief here command. What the hell is going on here?"

Command: "You're out of line, pilot."

Alpha 3: "Out of line? I don't think so! We're risking our lives out here, we deserve an explanation."

Command: "You will get an explanation when we decide to give it to you pilot. Command out."

Alpha 3: "Damn it! Command let Bosch escape!"

Beta 2: "What are you talking about?"

Alpha 4: "They pulled the blockade; they gave us the wrong coordinates! There's no other explanation!"

Beta 2: "Why? Why would they do that?"

Alpha 3: "You tell me pilot. I'm informed on a need to know basis!"

Beta 2: "Stand down; we're on your side here."

Alpha 3: Why did we hit that cargo? Why did we attack the Iceni? I can live with being a pawn if the game makes sense!"

Command: "All fighters return to base. The Aquitaine is shipping out."

Talon jumped back to the Aquitaine, all the while wondering why command had did what it did, and where the Aquitaine would be shipping out to. When he got debriefed he was not told any reason for the Iceni incident. He doubted that what actually happened would ever be classified below top-secret. He headed to his bunk, saddened by the loss of Alpha 4. He knew that they would have a replacement pilot and ship within a day. He was about to go to sleep when his beeper buzzed. He was wanted in his wing commanders office. He got quite a surprise when he got his commanders office. No only was his wing commander there, there was also another officer wearing a commanders sign and a patch with a Raven on it. His commander spoke first.

"Lieutenant Star. Due to your out standing performance and kill rate, you have been selected to transfer to the 107th Ravens, a heavy assault fighter squadron. They now operate the Hercules Mk.2, a heavy assault fighter. This is Commander Samson, leader of the Ravens.

Commander Samson reached out and shook Talons hand. He was a big man, and he had to keep is head lowered so that it would not bang into the ceiling. He talked to talon. "I am glad to welcome you into the 107th Ravens. We have a new campaign coming up, and the Ravens will be heavily involved in it. You will lead Alpha wing, just as you have been doing in the Hammerheads. Your transfer will be immediate, and the Hercules controls just like the Myrmidon, so you should have no trouble getting used to it. Your new ship is in bay 12-8. You are dismissed."

Exited by the prospect of a new squadron and ship, he headed back to his bunk. He flopped down and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

About seven hours later he heard a briefing alarm

About seven hours later he heard a briefing alarm. He got to the briefing room just as it started. It was a recorded message from Admiral Petrarch, commander of the 6th fleet. He settled into his seat and listened.

"To the officers and crew of the GTD Aquitaine. This message is classified top secret. At Approximately 1500 hours, a scout patrolling the Gamma Draconis system, an obscure system that can be reached by going through Polaris, was attacked and destroyed by a previously unknown Shivan cruiser, designation Rakshasa. All of you know the damage the Shivans did in the Great War. We have to consider that this is a prelude to an all out invasion. The 6th fleet will be heading to Gamma Draconis to halt the Shivans where they stand. Do not underestimate the Shivans. They are to be dealt with carefully. Never the less, we are far better armed than when we last encountered them and we should have no problem repelling them. This is Admiral Petrarch, signing off."

The mission briefer stepped into the room at the time and spoke.

"Fifteen years ago a scout ship went through the system and reported nothing out of the ordinary. The system has no outpost due to an unstable jump node. Now our advance scout ships have found an immense object of unknown origin around the jump node, and Shivan ships are coming through it. Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon wings will clear all Shivan forces around the object that is around the node. The GVD Carthage, an Orion class destroyer, and the GVCv Dashor a Sobek class corvette will act as backup incase you encounter heavy resistance. Good luck pilots."

Talon sprinted into is Hercules Mark 2 fighter and hit his thrusters, jumping out of the Aquitaine's fighter bay. He finally had a chance to get back at the Shivans. He went into subspace. Even though it was only seconds until he reverted to real space, it felt like hours. Suddenly he popped in to the battle zone… to see hundreds of fighter, bombers, and cruisers. He pulled up high on the control stick and narrowly missed a hail of missiles and laser shots. Most of the other pilots were not so lucky. Gamma wing was completely gone, Beta had 2 fighters, and there was no one else left in Alpha wing. Talon bit back a curse and fired missiles randomly. There were so many enemies that he did not have to aim, the missiles would impact on one of the many ships in the area. He knew that there was no way the remaining fighters in his group could escape, as their jump drives needed at least a minute to recharge. Dodging enemy fire, he heard frantic radio calls.

Beta 2: "Command, theirs hundreds of Shivans here. We need the Carthage and the Dashor!

Command: "Hold on, Beta. The Carthage and the Dashor on their way.

Talon knew that he and the other fighters only had seconds to live, as the Shivan cruisers had stared firing their bema cannons. He saw the light that was beta 3 wink out on his dashboard. Of twelve fighters, only he and Beta 2 remained. Beta 2 also seemed to know that their time was limited.

Beta 2: "Command! Send in the Carthage now or we are dead!"

At that moment the Carthage and the Dashor arrived. Their sheer bulk and armor, combined with the high speed at which they entered from subspace, drove them through the heart of the Shivan forces, shattering small craft as they impacted along their bow. They opened up with all their weapons, making hash of the Shivan forces. The few fighters that survived were quickly moped up by talon. He was filled with rage at the Shivans, for destroying all those lives of the pilots. After the area was secure, the Aquitaine jumped in.

Aquitaine: Alpha and Beta return to base."

As talon landed in the Aquitaine's hanger, he heard an announcement on the intercom from Admiral Petrarch, who was using the Aquitaine as his flagship.

Admiral Petrarch: "All hands, the Aquitaine along with other elements of the 6th fleet is going to jump through the portal, using the device that circles around it. The device has been named the Knossos, and it could well prove to be a wealth of scientific discoveries. We will jump through the portal in approximately ten minutes. Please stand by."

Talon went to a view port and watched as the Aquitaine maneuvered into position to go through the portal, and finally he watched as they entered subspace. As he watched the blue swirl that they traveled through, he could not shake the feeling that even though the GTVA was trying outmaneuvering the Shivans, they were playing right into the Shivan's hands.

From the personal log of Admiral Aken Bosch.

I have set my plans in motion. The Trinity has activated the portal, providing not only a way into the nebula, but a way out of it. The destroyers will do their part, and I will do mine. We are on the verge of a new era. Events will start happening faster and faster now, accelerating beyond my control.


	3. Chapter 3

Talon fell asleep during the voyage, battle weary and numb from the loss of all his pilots

Talon fell asleep during the voyage, battle weary and numb from the loss of all his pilots. He knew that already more fighters had been assigned to his squadron, as well as replacement pilots. He now headed the 107th Ravens, as commander Samson was in Beta 1 when they reached Gamma Draconis. Commander Samson was now no more than charred bits of flesh sticking to a few pieces of what used to be a Hercules Mark 2. He walked over to the mission briefing room and sat down. After a few moments, the half hour briefing alarm sounded. He smiled. Because he was now a commander of a fighter squadron, instead of a four ship wing, he had a pager on his belt that told him when a briefing was before the rest of the pilots knew. As the thirty minutes until the briefing crept by, pilots slowly filtered in and took their seats. Talon leaned back in his seat as the briefing began. The briefer cleared his throat and began.

"At 2350 hours, the GTD Aquitaine and other elements of the 6th fleet emerged from the jump point that started in Gamma Draconis. We have found ourselves in a nebula, probably caused from an ancient supernova. Because of the nebula's properties, visibility, scanner range, and comm range have been greatly decreased, and there is a lot of lightning which could really mess up your craft. All elements of the 107th Ravens will be scouting the Nebula. Alpha will go with Zeta, trying to lure Shivans out, and Beta, Gamma, Iota, and Kappa will do a general search since our sensors are nearly useless. Good luck."

Thirty minutes later, Talon was strapped into his Hercules fighter, clamped on to the outside of the Aquitaine, waiting for the signal to launch. He got the signal, detached his clamps, and rocketed away. Because of the high morality rate of his previous mission, most of the pilots on patrol were green, with almost no combat time. He set his fighter on autopilot to go on his patrol course. He tuned in to the general frequency and listened to what was happening.

Command: "All teams report in."

Alpha 1: "Nothing found command."

Zeta 1: "Ours sensors are picking up zilch, command."

Beta 1: "No trace of any Shivans."

Iota 1: "Nothing to report command."

Talon was surprised to find that Kappa wing did not report in. Apparently Command was surprised too.

Command: "Kappa wing, are you there?"

Iota 3: "Command, we saw faint explosions in the direction of Kappa wing's position. Assume the worst."

Command: "Roger that. All wings continue your patrol."

Talon flew on, wondering all the time about Kappa wing. Suddenly, he saw a faint red blip on his scanner. The computer identified it as a cruiser sized object. Talon opened a direct channel to command.

Alpha 1: "Command, I have an unidentified object in front of me, possibly a cruiser."

Command: "Go investigate it Alpha. Zeta, back them up."

Talon fired his engines and sped into visual range of the cruiser and was very surprised to see a familiar design in front of him.

Command: "Alpha, is that ship a Cain or a Rakshasa?"

Alpha 1: "Negative command. It's a Terran cruiser, Fenris class!"

The Fenris class cruiser was an old design, dating back over forty years, yet it was a reliable design, used by both the GTVA and the NTF.

Command: "Hail that cruiser, Alpha."

Alpha 1: "This is Alpha wing of the 107th Ravens, GTD Aquitaine. What is your status? Over."

Trinity: "This is Alfred Romig, captain of the GTC Trinity. We have survived a Shivan attack, but we have lost our engines and all of our weapons. We need help!"

Command: "Your designation is incorrect, Romig. You and your ship defected to the NTF ten days ago. Surrender the Trinity or be destroyed."

Trinity: "As captain of the NTC Trinity, I hereby surrender my ship on the condition you get us the hell out of here."

Command: "We will send the Psamtik and the Aquitaine to recover you."

Trinity: "Roger that."

Command: "What are you doing out here Romig?"'

Trinity: "As a prisoner of war, my rights are protected by the Beta Aquilite Convention. I will answer no questions, command."

Alpha 2: "I thought rebels didn't recognize BETAC."

Command: "No, but we do pilot."

The Psamtik and the Aquitaine appeared in realspace.

GTD Aquitaine: "This is the Aquitaine. Now dispatching transport Discovery to assist the Trinity."

Trinity: "Roger that."

A 60 year old Elysium-class transport propelled itself from the Aquitaine, its engines flickering with age.

Discovery: "This is the Discovery, beginning docking procedure. Okay Romig, you know the drill. Surrender your weapons and no one will get hurt."

Trinity: "Acknowledged."

The Discovery rotated and was about to dock when a massive rift in subspace opened 300 meters from the Trinity. It was a massive Shivan destroyer which came right out of subspace firing, spearing the Trinity and the Discovery with red beams of energy. Both ships were vaporized by the massive beam cannons. Turrets around the destroyer grew red and more energy burst from them, punching through the Aquitaine's armor. At first glance it looked like the Aquitaine had came through the volley unscathed, but slowly the front half of it slid away, and the engines lost all power as the ship started to break up. Talon was dumbfounded. His sensors showed that almost all the compartments on the Aquitaine had been breached, exposing everything inside to the vacuum of space. Thousands of people had been on that destroyer, and now they were all dead. The Psamtik banked to port and opened fire on the destroyer, but even the Psamtik's main beam cannons had trouble penetrating more that a few meters into the destroyer. Talon opened an emergency channel to command.

Alpha 1: "Command! We have been ambushed by a huge Shivan destroyer. The Aquitaine is gone; it's gone!"

Command: "Calm down Alpha. We are designating the new destroyer Ravana. Sending in help now."

The Ravana fired on the Psamtik, but most of its weapons were placed in the front and the Psamtik took only damage from the few rear beam cannons. But that could not last for long because the Ravana was turning to intercept the Psamtik, aligning most of its guns. But at that moment, a huge hole in subspace appeared, propelling itself into realspace. Talon's sensors reported it as six kilometers long, making it the largest ship ever seen.

Alpha 1: "Command! A massive warship has entered the battle! We don't stand a chance against it!"

Command: "All units, do not fire on that warship. That is the GTVA Colossus. Colossus, open fire."

GTVA Colossus: "Roger that."

The Colossus opened fire on the destroyer, sending enormous green beams lancing toward the Ravana, punching holes right through its armor and into its reactor. The Ravana died in a fantastic explosion sending the front third of its body on a ballistic course which would eventually take it into the sun. Talon could only stare in amazement at the Colossus.

Command: "Welcome to the first combat deployment of the GTVA Colossus. Over 20 years in the making; it is the largest ship ever. It has more firepower than the rest of the 6th fleet combined."

GVD Psamtik: "We have received orders that all surviving personnel that was assigned to the Aquitaine will immediately be transferred to the Psamtik. Alpha, you will dock in our main fighter bay."

Alpha 1: "Roger."

Command: "Psamtik, after you rendezvous, with the fighters you will jump out of the nebula. The NTF is heading toward the Knossos."

GVD Psamtik: "Affirmative."

Talon engaged the autopilot and headed toward the Psamtik. He could not believe that the Aquitaine and its 12,000 personnel were all dead. He landed in the Psamtik's fighter bay and headed towards a bunk that he had been assigned. It was odd sleeping in a room meant for Vasudans. The bed was oddly shaped, and the pluming was impossible to figure out. Fortunately, the Psamtik had human-style bathrooms and briefing rooms. From what Talon gathered, the NTF, while badly damaged, was trying to jump to the nebula, presumably to escape. The Colossus and the Psamtik would guard the nebula, and try to repel the NTF attack, and hopefully stop Admiral Bosch's rebellion. There would be a Deimos-class corvette, the Lysander, and a Typhoon-class destroyer called the Het-Ka to assist them.

He lay in the odd bed and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Talon woke up on his own, while the Psamtik was still in subspace. He checked the time on his watch and was surprised to see that he had only slept four hours. He had a strange feeling that something was out of place. He slipped out of his room and headed to the hanger, planning to look over his fighter to make sure it was in tip-top shape. As he passed the transport bay, he saw something very odd. There were three soldiers wearing the GTVA's Special Operations Unit patches, carrying large, round objects to a transport. SOU soldiers answered only to the highest levels of command. So why were they here, moving objects about? As Talon looked closer at the objects, he saw that they were heat sinks. Heat sinks were used on warships to dissipate heat from the firing of their beam cannons. Most warships had a set of main heat sinks, and larger ones, like the Psamtik and the Colossus, also had emergency heat sinks in case of failure. The heat sinks that the soldiers were carrying were heavily overused and could not even support the heat from the beam cannons charging up! One of the soldiers spoke.

SOU Soldier 1: "Do you have all the used heat sinks loaded up?"

SOU Soldier 2: "Yeah."

SOU Soldier 3: "I set the shuttle to automatically compensate for maneuvers in subspace."

SOU Soldier 1: "When you get to the Colossus, submit entry override 1665, and the heat sink access will open. Jettison the emergency heat sinks from the Colossus and put in the damaged ones."

SOU Soldier 3: "Roger."

SOU soldier 1: "You will get the signal on channel 964.77. Rebroadcast it as soon as you get it."

SOU Soldier 3: "Got it."

The three soldiers got in the transport and took off, leaving the bay. Talon was confused. Why would they put bad heat sinks in the Colossus? Why would command tell them to do that? And what was all that business about channel 964.77? Talon had a feeling that he would find out soon.

Talon did not get any more sleep that night. He kept wondering what was going on. He went to his fighter and waited for a scramble order. There would be no briefing, and the Psamtik would deploy its fighters as soon as it reached the Knossos device. After about twenty minutes everyone was in their fighters, waiting for the Psamtik to revert to real space. He set his computer to record all transmissions on channel 964.77 which he had found out was an obscure channel that piggybacked regular transmissions, perfect for covert operations. He had to know what was going on. He returned to waiting to revert to realspace. Finally he did, and he launched out of the fighter bay. He saw the Lysander, but the Het-Ka was nowhere to be found. Then Talon scanned the debris field around the Knossos and found pieces of a typhoon destroyer. He cursed. The Het-Ka must have been destroyed. He heard the Colossus query the Lysander.

GTVA Colossus: "Lysander, did we lose the Het-Ka?"

Lysander: "A rebel corvette came out of subspace right on top of it. It didn't have a chance."

Command: "Colossus, Psamtik, we have the NTD Relentless, an Orion-class destroyer, coming in for the Knossos. It is the flagship of Rear Admiral Koth, one of Bosch's commanders. It must not get past the Knossos!"

Psamtik: "Roger."

The Relentless chose that moment to come out of subspace. It was an old destroyer, probably over forty years old. But it was still a big threat, and it had new weapons. As soon as it came out of subspace, a signal was recorded on channel 964.77. It came from command and bounced off a transport that was hovering outside the Psamtik and then to the Relentless. Talon realized that the transport it bounced of was the same he had seen the SOU soldiers use. It was a text transmission only. He looked at it. "Heading 026, 274, speed 15." He frowned in puzzlement. Why did command transmit course data? He asked the computer to show the path of the Relentless if it followed the given course. When he saw the answer, a chill ran down his spine. It would ram the Colossus main heat sinks. It wouldn't destroy the Colossus, but it would force it to switch over to emergency heat sinks. Normally that would be only an inconvenience, but the emergency heat sinks had been replaced with ruined heat sinks. Unfortunately, Talon could do nothing but watch and see what happened. The Colossus opened a channel to the Relentless.

GTVA Colossus: "Admiral Koth, power down and surrender."

Admiral Koth: "Negative Colossus. I will not surrender my ship. Even if I have to go to hell with you, this monstrosity will be destroyed."

Psamtik: "The Relentless has set a collision course with the Colossus."

Talon groaned. For reasons unknown, command was collaborating with the NTF. But why would they tell the relentless to ram at 15 speed? That was not enough speed to destroy the Colossus. He figured that it was to make Koth think he would destroy the Colossus, even though he would just be damaging it. But he still had no idea what command was trying to accomplish.

The Colossus started firing on the Relentless, aiming for the engines, trying to stop it.

GTVA Colossus: "Don't be absurd Koth! You're sacrificing ten thousand lives for nothing!"

Admiral Koth: "'Your cynicism appalls me colossus. I have ten thousand crew willing to die for neo-terra. The tyranny of your regime is finished! Admiral Koth out."

GTVA Colossus: "Evacuating forward decks four hundred through twelve hundred. Auxiliary bridge stand by. All hands, brace for impact!"

The Relentless hit the Colossus, pushing its head up. It flattened itself onto the Colossus' bow, and then exploded, rocking it with the force of the explosion. Talon showed the Colossus at 78 hull integrity, but its main heat sinks were down.

GTVA Colossus: "We have sustained moderate damage and few casualties. We have lost out main heat sinks, switching to emergency sinks.

Talon opened a private line to command.

Alpha 1: "Command, what did you just do?"

Command: "What do you mean?"

Alpha 1: "I received that transmission. That was treason!"

Command: "Lieutenant Star. If you speak of this subject on anything but a secure line to us, you will be fired upon."

At that moment the Iceni came out of subspace about 900 yards from the Knossos, right next to the Colossus.

GTVA Colossus: "The Iceni is in system. Opening fire!"

The Colossus turrets started to glow green with energy, but the excess heat, having no way of dispersing, overloaded. The unfocused beams ran across the turrets, vaporizing them instantly.

GTVA Colossus: "Catastrophic failure of emergency heat sinks! Heavy casualties in the gunnery stations!"

Talon watched helplessly as the Iceni activated its subspace drive and jumped past the Knossos, heading into the nebula.

Command: "The Iceni has made it past the jump node. All fighters, return to your ships. Alpha 1, we will debrief you aboard the Psamtik. Come to room 461 as soon as you dock."

Without replying, Talon docked at the Psamtik and walked to the private debriefing room.

When he got to the debriefing room, he was greatly surprised to see Admiral Petrarch himself sitting in a chair behind a desk. He motioned for Talon to sit down. He spoke.

"Lieutenant Star, what you are going to hear is classified top secret. What is said in here is not to come out of this room. Admiral Bosch has devolved a project called ETAC, or Extra Terrestrial Assisted Communication. It is designed to carry messages into a range of hearing that neither the Vasudans nor us have. In short, it is designed to communicate with the Shivans, something that we have never been able to do. Fleet Command received orders to make sure that ETAC is used, hopefully to make peace with the Shivans. We were aware that the Shivans were returning about a month before it was released to the fleet. Fleet command got overzealous, pulling blockades, and ultimately overstepped their bounds with the sabotage of the Colossus. The officers that participated in that event will be striped of their position in the GTVA and will face charges for treason. In any event, Bosch will have the opportunity to try ETAC. Whether it will work is another matter. The Colossus can not fire its beam cannons, but it still has the rest of its weapons. Bosch will be pursed into the nebula, and the Shivans will be dealt with. Good day." After the debriefing, Talon watched as combined elements of the fleet jumped into subspace, through the Knossos and into the nebula, in pursuit of Admiral Bosch.


	5. Chapter 5

Final entry from the personal log of Admiral Aken Bosch

Final entry from the personal log of Admiral Aken Bosch.

It has been done. I have activated ETAC and made contact with the Shivans. My officers are setting the charges aboard this ship now, and the Shivans are coming for us. I have told them of Capella, and the millions of people clustered around it. I have fulfilled my life's work. But now, as I gaze into the nebula, see the red armor of the Shivan ships, I wonder. Has everything I done been right? Will I stop the Shivans? Or will all I have done just be a stepping stone to them for the death of humanity? The Shivan shuttle docked a moment ago. I will go down to meet them persona- wait a second. What's that noise? Oh god, it's-

When the Psamtik got back to realspace, Talon hit his afterburners and rocketed away from the Psamtik. The group searching for the Iceni consisted of the Colossus, the Psamtik, and three Deimos-class corvettes, the Actium, the Hawkwood, and Cato. After twenty minutes of searching, they found the Iceni. The Colossus hailed it.

GTVA Colossus: "Admiral Bosch, surrender the Iceni, or be destroyed."

NTD Iceni: "GTVA ships, we need transport of the Iceni now!"

GTVA Colossus: "Identify yourself."

NTD Iceni: "This is Ensign Gatterweld. The Shivans killed them all!"

GTVA Colossus: "What happened?"

NTD Iceni: "The Shivans came, and they killed everyone! Bosch, bridge officers, every one. There's only about seventy of us left! Get us out of here! Bosch set thermite charges all over the ship!"

Command: "All ships get away from the Iceni!"

Talon had drifted close to the Iceni. When he heard the call, he fired his thrusters and leapt away from the Iceni. Just then a huge sphere of white light left from the Iceni, vaporizing not only itself but also several fighters that had ventured too close to the Iceni.

Command: "The Iceni has self destructed. Admiral Bosch is dead; the Neo-Terran Front is finished. Return to-"

At that moment, a small blip representing a single fighter appeared on Talon's sensor.

Kappa 1: "Help, oh no, help!"

Alpha 1: "Incoming fighter, identify yourself."

Kappa 1: "This is Kappa 1, GTD Aquitaine. You've got to get out of here!"

Alpha 1: "Command, that's one of the missing fighters from the Trinity incident!"

Command: "Roger that. Kappa 1, what happened to you and your flight?"

Kappa 1: "The're all dead! It was too big, we couldn't stop it. Get everyone out of the nebula, destroy the jump node! Do it while you still can!"

Command: "What was too big?"

Kappa 1: "You got to go now it's coming! It's-"

A huge subspace rift opened up, and a colossal warship with claws tipped with beam cannons. It was over twelve kilometers long and wasted no time in firing. Three beams sprang out and speared the Psamtik, blasting it into oblivion.

The Actium and the Cato were completely swallowed up by the giant beam cannons, leaving no sign that they had ever been there.

Command: "All ships get out of there! Get back through the Knossos. Go!"

Talon jumped out of the area. His base ship was destroyed and there was not enough room for him in the Colossus' fighter bay. He used his magnetic clamps to attach to the hull of the colossus, and rode it like a parasite into subspace. He received a transmission.

"To all GTVA ships. The Shivan juggernaught we encountered has been named Sathanas and is currently heading out of the nebula. We have to destroy the Knossos and prevent the Sathanas from getting to GTVA space. Good luck."

The Colossus got to the other side of the Knossos; Talon dettached his magnetic clamps and looked at the Knossos. It had to be destroyed. The Hawkwood arrived from the Knossos, badly damaged from the escape.

Hawkwood: "All ships stand clear of the Knossos."

The Hawkwood fired its beam cannons, severing the supports that kept the massive device together. The Knossos simply fell apart.

Command: "Well done. The Sathanas was only half a minute away when you destroyed the Knossos. It would have entered about no-"

The Sathanas pushed itself through the place where the Knossos had been, a tearing site.

Command: "The Sathanas had gotten through the node without the Knossos. The Knossos must have healed the jump node."

GTVA Colossus: "Command, the Sathanas is heading for the Capella jump node."

Command: "What! There are millions of civilians there. Send a message to evacuate them!"

All ships pull back, jump to Capella, we will hold them there. Go!"

As talon again used his magnetic clamps to ride the Colossus, he oriented his craft towards the jump node and the Sathanas.

Alpha 1: "Command, Another Sathanas just came through the portal! And another! Six of them, ten, seventeen, twenty two- We don't stand a chance!"

Command: "We don't have a choice. Hold them of at Capella!"

2 hours later, the colossus came back to realspace. It was near the sun of Capella, a star that provided light and heat for over a dozen worlds that were heavily colonized. Capella was also the base for the GTVA leadership. Thousands of civilian transports flooded space, all tying to get to the jump node that leads out of the system. All kinds of warships were there, from top line new warships to personal transports with guns strapped to them to Great War leftovers. There was even ancient space shuttle called the discovery, with a pair of large missiles bolted underneath it. Talon shook his head. It belonged in a museum, and would only add to the number of targets the Shivans had. He formed up on a pair of Triton transports and began to escort them. He was halfway to the jump node out of Capella when the Shivans started to come in. Hundreds of destroyers, corvettes, cruisers, and fighters filled the void of space. But most of the jugernaughts appeared hundred f kilometers away from the transports, setting course for Capella, the bright, burning star in the center of the system. Only one started after the convoy, torching ships with its giant beam canons. The Colossus angled toward the jugernaght, powering power into its engines.

GTVA Colossus: "That jugernaght will tear the convoys apart! Intercepting."

Command: "Colossus, you have no beam canons. Break away from the jugernaught now!"

GTVA Colossus: "Negative. We will stop the jugernaught. All ships, use the opportunity we give you well."

Command: "Colossus, what-"

The Colossus dumped all of its fuel into its engines, accelerating past the speed it was ever meant to go. Its hull plates were buckling from the stress, but it continued on course, straight to the jugernaght. It rammed into the Sathanas, Breaking of the mounts of its forward beam cannons. The Colossus and the Sathanas exploded simultaneity, in spectacular explosion. Talon could only stare at the deaths of over thirty thousand soldiers. He then began to weave through the convoy, destroying fighters and bombers. And then he saw the fighter. The same one as from years before, with the gold and black stripes.

Meanwhile, the other Sathanas circled around the sun, pointing their claws at Capella. Energy began to course through the tips of the claws, opening subspace, and forcing the flow of it directly into the star. Capella collapsed inward on itself, and then exploded out in a supernova. It incinerated the jugernaughts, and continued outward, frying planets and heading for the battle. Talons computer gave twenty seconds until the force of the nebula would hit. He was unsure of what to do. Go to the jump node and survive the explosion? Destroy the fighter that was now lining up for a jump to subspace? Or destroy a squadron of bombers that was closing in on a transport desperately trying to get out the jump node? He thought of his parents, of what they would want him to do. Suddenly for him, the choice was clear.

To the Pilots of the 107th Ravens.

We do not know the why the Shivans destroyed the star Capella, and we probably never will. The Shivan attack has been defeated, but at terrible price. Thousand died at Capella, but it would have been millions if not for the efforts of the fleet. Your commander, Talon Star, decided to protect a transport that was under attack instead of escaping form the nebula. The transport he saved made it away safely, but he was still in the system when the supernova hit. He was a hero, and you should all be proud of that.

This is Admiral Petrarch, signing off.


End file.
